musaraigne

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word musaraigne. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word musaraigne, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say musaraigne in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word musaraigne you have here. The definition of the word musaraigne will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofmusaraigne, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

French

Etymology

From Middle French mesiraigne (16th c.), merisengne (15th c.), from Latin mūsarāneus, from Latin mūs (mouse) +‎ arāneus (spider-like). So called because the bite of many shrews (e.g. Neomys fodiens) is venomous. According to the Trésor informatisé, the word is a borrowing from Latin, but the Middle French forms look by no means learned and could well be inherited. The modern -u- may be a Latinate alteration, however.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /my.za.ʁɛɲ/
  • (file)
  • (file)

Noun

musaraigne f (plural musaraignes)

  1. shrew

Related terms

Further reading